This competency-based, skill-building course will help non-U.S. students, first generation immigrants and foreign-born professionals better understand and master American e-Learning, as well as other U.S. virtual environments, for college and career success.
To excel in American online learning and work environments, international students and foreign-born professionals need to know how American universities and companies use the Internet to organize study and work, develop and execute projects, communicate ideas, collaborate, and solve organizational and technical problems. By taking this course, you will learn how to enhance your cultural knowledge and assess potential skill gaps that may hinder your online experience or negatively impact your performance in U.S. virtual work environments. Throughout the course you will systematically review competencies required for online work, come to better understand common barriers for non-native students and professionals, learn how to detect and overcome competency gaps, and develop plans for self-improvement.
We hope that you will enjoy the course and invite you to share your own experiences with other students.

From the lesson

Overcoming barriers of technology, language, and culture

This week covers three lessons to help you address the key barriers of technology, language, and culture. The first lesson on technology will help you become familiar with the general expectations regarding the technological competencies necessary for your success in the U.S. university environment. Our goal is to make you an expert user of technology which will empower you navigate comfortably through your online learning program with ease, no matter the school or program in which you are enrolled. The remaining two lessons are designed to help you understand the critical language and cross-cultural factors that might either hinder or help your success as a student in an American setting. The main objective is to master the language and cultural competencies that are needed to fulfill the required tasks for efficient and effective cross-cultural communication. Your instructor for this week is Dr. Bidhan Chandra, capstone task facilitator - Dr. Michele Forte.